Frost
by Virtual Pneumonia
Summary: While in suspension, Broly finds his way to Earth. Goku and Vegeta are waiting on that Earth. They make the odd decision to defrost the Legendary Super Saiyan.


Cold...

So...cold...

Why? Why did it have to be this way?

It was all his fault, wasn't it? He could never do anything right...

* * *

 _A bright light. A desolate planet. Two warriors, each going for a final blow._

 _"Now the real fight begins!" What did he mean by that? Didn't get to ask._

 _Soon after, a blinding pain. Flesh breaking, tearing. Energy shining through, seeping through the cracks._

 _Paralyzed, unable to stem the flow. Whether of ki or blood, he didn't want to know, only stop. Stop it from escaping._

 _Too weak to hold it...too much buildup...! An explosion as his now-damaged form was sent flying._

 _Crash! Strange, no feeling-oh, there's the hurt. Cringe managed._

 _But he was still alive, still...not dead. Still...could...win!_

 _Attempted movement. More pain._

 _Looked at self. Open wounds._

 _Get it together...can't die. Not now. Not like this._

 _Some energy left. A little, but lacerations would scab. Stop bleeding._

 _Moving became easier. Crawl attained._

 _Rocks jabbed into hands. Don't stop._

 _Pants were ripped. Don't stop._

 _Back to familiar place. Castle. Palace._ Father.

 _Agonizing, but allowed self a mad grin at past events. No sound. Too much pain._

 _Ground quaked. Knocked onto side. Ow._

 _Not giving in. Not meeting the same fate as this planet._

 _Restarted crawl. More rumbles._

 _Parts of structure pulled up. Toward Comet Camori._

 _Won't take me._ Won't take me!

 _Pride fuels._

 _On feet. Slumped, staggering. On feet._

 _Tremors intensify. Balance endangered._

 _No. Will escape. Freedom is near._

 _Run. Get to the room. Won't make it at this pace._

 _Mild trot? Close enough._

 _A stronger heave. Thrown forward._

 _Forearms are embedded into the ground. Body shakes with effort. Don't let dirt into wounds._

 _Tiles rising now, flying toward destruction. Not him._

 _Great strain brings him to the previous position._

 _Panting. New experience. Disliked._

 _Fear settles. Desperation. Need to leave._

 _Open space. Metal sphere._

Escape.

 _Cold interior. Tight space. Feels good. Safe._

 _Machine inquires. Condition? Destination?_

 _Already set._

 _"Leave for planet Earth?"_

 _"...Yes."_

* * *

That was stupid. So, so stupid...

Fighting without self-preservation...not thinking of the consequences...going to Death's door with only the emergency life support system holding him together...

What an idiot...

 _'Why did we say yes?'_

* * *

 _"Safely landed on planet Earth. Atmosphere - safe. Climate - safe. Time - night. Lifeforms..."_

 _Boring drivel. Already know. Leave pod._

 _Kakarott...Kakarott!_

 _No, not yet. Calm down. Injured. Need-_

 _Kakarott!_

 _Have to...heal. Have to-_

 _Kakarott!_

 _Trip. Fall. Pain. Shrink. Normal. Weak._

 _Kakarott!_

 _Eyes sting. Tears. Blink away._

 _Kakarott!_

 _Hurts...everything hurts. Can't move..._

 _"K-Ka...Kakarott!"_

 _Dark. Cold. Silent._

 _Peace._

 _..._

 _Crying. Loud. Painful._

 _Kakarott..._

 _Lifted. Glint. Stabbed._

 _Kakarott._

 _Cold. Hurt. Fear. Anger._

 _Kakarott!_

 _Getting brighter. Stronger. Aware._

 _Kakarott!_

 _Above ground. On Earth._

 _Small nuisance. Not Kakarott. Defeated._

 _Fade out._

 _"Kakarott!"_

 _"Kakarott? What does that mean? Is that a vegetable? I hate vegetables!"_

 _Confusion. Why is Kakarott so small? Doesn't matter. Won't fool me._

 _"Kakarott!"_

 _Attack. Charge. Kill._

 _Fade out._

 _Explosion. Newcomer._

 _Second Kakarott._

 _Memory. Unclear. Purple hair. Humiliation._

 _Rage fuels._

 _A roar from the throat._

 _Transform._

 _Old strength._

 _Enemy coming. Soon stuck down. Grab him. Rip him to shreds._

 _His screams are pleasing._

 _Distraction. Got away._

 _Chase. Warmth beneath. Liquid fire._

 _Lured in. Enveloped._

 _Relaxing. Calming._

 _Hot...too hot. Burns!_

 _Shield. Protected. Back to warm. Good._

 _Another presence._

 _Kakarott!_ _Find him!_

 _Another small Kakarott. Other Kakarott lives, too._

 _New Kakarott attacks. Weak. Easily beaten._

 _Second comes. Play time._

 _It's Kakarott's time to die._

 _Toss him around. Make him suffer._

 _On his knees. Surrendering, perhaps?_

 _Humorous. Kakarott won't get off that easily!_

 _Asphyxiation. Yes._

 _Squeezing. Cries of pain from Kakarott._

 _Music to my ears._

 _Tighter! He's getting used to it!_

 _Yes. More delicious sounds._

 _Getting bored. Too repetitive. Kakarott deserves more pain._

 _Thinking._

 _Another Kakarott. Strange throwing weapon._

 _Projectile destroyed. Seems to damage other Kakarott. Two down._

 _Only distraction. Kakarott got away again!_

 _That's it! This planet will die!_

 _Charge attack. Omega Blaster._

 _Launch._

 _Enemy battles it. Ineffective._

 _Reinforcements. Still nothing._

 _Taking too long. New target: Earth._

 _"...Broly is my concern."_

 _Yet another Kakarott! Will it ever-_

 _Wait. That's the real one! The other weaklings merely softened me up for him!_

 _Rage blinds._

 _Make the Blaster stronger! Planet can't die fast enough now._

 _What? The Eraser Cannons, deflected? No!_

 _The attack is overpowered. A brilliant display as it breaks._

 _More Eraser Cannons. Not strong enough._

 _Shield. Guards against blast._

 _Pushed instead._

 _Cold again. Then warm. Then hot. Burns! Pain!_

 _Hatred!_

 _"Kakarott!"_

 _Black out._

* * *

He cringed at his choppy memory, but maybe it was for the better. All that pain...all for one person...

Was all that struggle worth it? To question fate?

Was it...wrong of him? Did he deserve it?

Oh, who was he kidding? Of course he deserved it!

 _'Nothing good ever happens to monsters.'_

But...if that was true, then why did he feel the need to reach out to the warmth? The good that lay inside him?

...Did it not exist? Was everything done by his hand evil? _Everything?_

A twinge in his mind. A voice.

 ** _'Please don't blame yourself. None of this was your fault.'_**

 _'It's not a matter of who's fault it is! I want to know why!'_

If he wasn't frozen in space, he'd be crying. The sobs echoed in his mind, though. They had been doing that since he was preserved, them and the memories...

 _'Why can't I ever be happy, or even satisfied? Why does everything I touch die? Why...why am I so...broken?'_

He was silenced by the other presence, who said in a defeated tone:

 _ **'I don't know all of it, but I can tell you that your pain comes from me...my being here. I've told you this.'**_

He mentally flicked it. _'Oh, shut up. You're not the source...and even if you were, I wouldn't go back. It's something else, something outside of us.'_

Fate, maybe?

They fell silent. This conversation had happened many times before, of the same things. Through the many years, they had never managed to get it right. No solution was visible.

 _'Maybe we should've obeyed Paragus-'_

Before he could comprehend what happened, a sharp blow landed on the side of his head. Even in this inner world, it rang in his ears. _**'**_ _ **Don't you dare say that! He was an even worse man than we!'**_ It calmed its tone with a sigh. _**'I'm sorry, but he wouldn't have been able to put us back together, only tear us further apart. Do you understand?'**_

Slowly, he nodded. Fortunately, pain was an illusion in his mind, a fact he learned from the many years he was kept prisoner in it. Strangely, he didn't fear entering it in his freedom.

 _'Y-yeah.'_

 ** _'Are you okay?'_**

 _'I needed that.'_ He paused. _'What do we do? How are we going to fix this if we're unconscious?'_

It couldn't help but chuckle. Its companion always thought ahead, always wondered about the future. This made them a great team, among other things.

 _ **'We don't need to worry about that, only what we're going to say when we wake up. Let's try one thing at a time.'**_

 _'...Alright. You're leading, though.'_

* * *

Ah, today was a good day! Well, Goku though so, relaxing on the roof of the Son home.

He'd gotten to eat breakfast, spar with Vegeta, and listen to Gohan's plans for the next semester at the school he was teaching at.

...Wait, wasn't he still doing that?

"Dad? Are you listening? What was I just talking about?"

The full-blooded Saiyan jolted upright. Beads of sweat began sliding down his face.

"Uh...weren't you talking about that power thing? What was it...might-a-cookie?"

A deadpan stare. "It's mitochondria, Dad. The powerhouse of the cell."

"I-I knew that. Eh heh heh..."

His son raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. To cover his shame, he scratched the back of his neck, still giggling.

Gohan huffed, taking his glasses off. "You're a bad liar, you know."

Being the optimist, Goku kept his smile. "Well, that makes me better at telling the truth, right?"

It caught the eldest off guard. "I g-guess it does..." He looked bewildered at the sudden intelligence. _'I still have more to learn, I see.'_

"Hey, Dad! Gohan! Do you guys feel that?"

Both males leaned over the roof's edge. "Feel what, Goten?" Gohan asked.

"That weird power! It's coming from up there." He pointed to the sky.

Goku put two fingers to his forehead, sensing for the 'weird power.' His youngest was right...oh no.

"Dad? What is it?" Gohan was scared. Whatever the third-class found must have shaken him pretty bad, judging by how fast his face lost color.

He steeled himself, not just for the hybrids, but himself. "Guys, I need you to get inside."

"Why? What's going on, Dad? Tell us!" Both boys only became more anxious with those words.

A growl silenced them. They'd never heard such a sound from the Earth-raised Saiyan outside of battle. He must be serious.

"...Just tell us when it's over, okay?" Gohan decided that patience was the best thing to have now.

Goku nodded and took off once the wooden door was closed and locked.

 _'Why him, of all people? Why can't he just leave us alone?'_ It was infuriating and frightening at the same time. Only Vegeta had made him feel this blend before.

Is it a Saiyan thing? He wondered. He never meant to harm anyone, so there was no other explanation than genetics, right?

B-but Paragus! He didn't want to fight! Neither did Tarble when _he_ came to Earth!

On the other side, though, Nappa and Turles had both sought the planet's destruction...and Paragus had a whole scheme set up, so...

He sighed. This wasn't getting him anything but a headache. _'I really gotta remember to ask Vegeta about these things.'_

Re-focusing on the incoming signal, he picked up speed. It was gonna reach the planet's surface any second now.

"Kakarott! I assume your brat told you?" Speaking of the prince...

"Hey, 'Geta! Goten told me everything. What do you think's gonna happen?"

The first-class frowned at the nickname, but responded. "Nothing as soon as I get there. I've had enough of his foolery to last a century! As soon as I land, he's as good as dead!"

 _'Man, he's really confident right now. I wonder if he's right.'_ A sudden gust flung his hair back as Vegeta plowed ahead. "Hey, wait up! I wanna fight, too, you know-whoa!"

He barely stopped himself from slamming into his sire's back. "Uh, Vegeta?" No response.

Following the prince's gaze, he gasped. Before them was...a chunk of ice?

Since his companion wasn't moving, Goku took the fall and went forward.

His heart hammering in his chest, he landed, fighting his fear to run and leave the block be. Even crazier, he extended a hand to the cold object. His eyes clenched shut as he went with these motions.

Ah, sweet irony. He always told his family and friends to be brave and here he was, cowering before an _ice cube_! Oh, they'd be so proud, he was sure.

Nothing happened. One eye crept open, then the other. It was a bit more effort, but he managed to turn his head toward the new thing.

Every trace of tension left him. Now he looked like one of those cartoon characters who get scared of nothing and relax...only for them to be attacked by the creature...!

He flinched again, sure that a hand would break free and close around his neck, finally snapping it and getting revenge.

Vegeta landed beside him. "What are you doing?"

Goku jumped. "Ah! Oh. It's just you..."

The prince raised an eyebrow, daring him to continue on that path.

A hand raised itself in a placating gesture, the other staying on the ice. "You see...um, what I meant was..."

"Ugh, can it, Kakarott. What's going on in there?"

Kneeling down, the third-class rubbed the mist forming and pressed his face against the cold surface. His nose protested against the sudden drop in temperature, his forehead coming as a close second.

"Well, I don't really see anything. It's all blue." He looked around the interior of the container. "Oh, wait! There he is!"

He tried to detach himself from the ice, only to stop short. It was the same with his hands. "Eh heh heh...looks like I'm stuck. Little help?"

After thoroughly massaging the bridge of his nose, the prince dragged his subordinate from the object, gritting his teeth at the whines of pain. "You know, if you actually tried to help yourself, maybe this would go by faster. Just a suggestion."

More nervous giggling. "Sorry, 'Geta." At least he managed to look ashamed.

"Whatever." He dropped Goku to stand at attention. "Now, what did you see?"

"Ah...hmm...I don't know. It's like he's there, but he's sleeping. I think he might still be hurt from last time." He scratched the back of his head. "After all, why come back in a block of ice, right?"

His expression fell at Vegeta's snarl. "Be serious, you clown! The longer we stand here twiddling our thumbs, the higher the chance that Earth will be destroyed!"

Raising his power level, he flew up to get a good view of the land surrounding the block. He really didn't want to do this. The Saiyan inside the frozen tomb was one of his subjects once. To destroy him was painful, even when he proved to be an extreme threat to the universe. But it had to be done, for the greater good.

 _'Let this be the last one,'_ he prayed.

"Vegeta! Wait!"

He hadn't realized the Galick Gun was already charged and primed for firing. If he let it go... "Kakarott, get out of the way!"

Goku stood, ascending to his Super Saiyan form. "No! He doesn't deserve this! Not from us. Not while he's defenseless!" He spread his arms in a protective stance. "Come on, Vegeta! He just needs-"

"Don't you dare tell me what my people need! We can't stop him this time, should he get free..." Sweat beaded on his temples, his fear becoming evident. "This time, he won't come back. He won't, I swear it! Now get out of my way!"

Why did the third-class have to be so difficult at the worst times? It was hard enough without that dunce putting his righteous morals ahead of what was truly fair.

"Vegeta, please." His voice had lowered to a firm tone. "You can't do this. _We_ can't do this. Think about it:

"Trunks told you everything back then, right? From the time he came back? He's changed. He's...broken. I was the only thing on his mind. Gohan said so, too. And Goten. He's in pain, Vegeta, and not just his body...everything. They said so; his ki's in shambles now, too. We've gotta help him!"

Pain filled the smaller's face, the blast fading from his hands. He shut his eyes and looked away. "I know all of that! The boy _did_ tell me what happened, but..." His shoulders shook with anger. "We can't do anything about it! Can't you see? He's hopeless. I bet not even the Dragonballs can fix him-"

His eyes opened, widened with realization. He was afraid to look down now. "No, Kakarott. We aren't using them on him! It would be a waste of time. Let's just get rid of him now." _'And save me the grief.'_

Goku still wore that optimism, though. "You're right! We could use them as a last resort. Send him somewhere where he won't hurt anyone. You're a genius, Vegeta!"

For once, the prince wished he wasn't tied to such a word. He sighed, descending to the ground, all the fight gone from his form. _'Now, we start digging. Who knows, maybe I'll find Hell down there and be rid of this idiot.'_ Any way he looked at it, there were no good things to be had from this situation, only death, death, and more death! _'Perhaps that clown's finally snapped and it's just now dawning on me...'_ Either way, Earth was as good as gone.

If only he could say good riddance. Well, he was about to and fly off when his subordinate called him.

"Hang on! I need your help to get him to Capsule Corp. I'm sure Bulma'll be able to do something."

At this, Vegeta gave him a blank stare. "Can't you use that infuriating technique you have _at your disposal?_ "

The third-class tutted playfully. "It's called the Instant Transmission, remember? But if I use it, it might separate him from the ice. We can't let that happen. Carrying him is our only chance."

His friend huffed. "Fine. We might as well jump from the pan into the fire. A challenge is what we thrive for, after all."

A bright grin was the response. "Yeah, that's the spirit!"

He groaned.

With minimal effort, they heaved their charge off the ground. "Careful, Vegeta. We need to keep him balanced. That needs teamwork."

The slow, drawn-out tone of those words created a tick mark on the prince's temple. _'I swear, if I wasn't holding this, I would knock your lights out!'_ He bit his tongue, lest the maelstrom come out and he step out of line.

They moved with slow, deliberate movements, steadily rising off the ground.

Once they were secure in the stratosphere: "Alright, where do we go now? I can't feel anything outside of this thing, so getting us to Capsule Corp is your problem, Kakarott."

"Yeah, yeah. I got it. Uh...this way."

He led them to the west. There was a secret he would protect with Krillin's life: it wasn't the humans he tracked, but the cat's. Scratch had an abnormal power level that he could never figure out, unlike anything he'd felt before. At one point, he was convinced that Dr. Briefs was a ninja who secretly found all the Dragonballs and made his pet immortal. He couldn't guess the time or the reasoning behind it, but it happened, he was sure! Or maybe he used the Black Star Dragonballs on another planet and let it blow up due to his wish. No science could explain the animal's mysterious properties.

They were off, sailing at a decent speed. By the time the building would enter their sights, it'd be lunchtime. Maybe Goku would be able to stay for that...and maybe sneak a second lunch when he got back home!

But how would that work? Would he eat half at Vegeta's place and the rest at home to keep himself from being overstuffed (which wasn't a myth as of last month)? Or would Bulma tell his wife ahead of time? That was an ominous thought...

The prince was in his own world as well, with just as many questions. Why was he doing this again? It was stupid! The third-class was either really determined or just dazed from their last encounter. Perhaps he'd stop beating his subject's skull for a few sessions and see what happens. Yeah.

He looked at the ground. The Saiyans were pretty high up, so let's say the entirely unfortunate event of a slippery glove were to take place. Would the object break? How bad would Goku Kamehameha him in the same direction? All good possibilities.

"What are you two doing?" Drat! His thought train was stopped!

"Hi, Piccolo! We're just...moving some ice."

"Correct. Now move it, Namek, before we have issues."

Green arms crossed over a broad chest told the whole story. "Tell me the truth." He charged a blast in his hand, aiming it for their cargo. "Or else."

Orange-clad legs flailed to express the Saiyan's anxiety. "W-wait! Don't do it!" His shoulders slumped. He was always so quick to give in...

The ki faded, the Namekian's original posture returning. He was all ears.

Goku's defeated posture and tight grip on the ice never left, though. "Alright. Here's what happened..."

* * *

"...and then you threatened us. That's all of it. Right, Vegeta?"

"Pretty much. Now will you let us through?" His temper hadn't calmed one bit from the start to the end of that tale, which took all of five minutes. You'd think that'd be enough, but no.

No.

The emerald man moved, but followed the pair, full of questions and criticisms.

Many moments passed. To the prince: "Why did you let him do this again?"

A sigh. "Because if I hadn't, he would've gone through his ridiculous scheme without me. That and he implied I wasn't Saiyan enough for this challenge, to which I couldn't rebuke fast enough for him to give me The Look." Both warriors grimaced.

The Look was this special way Goku stared at people to express his correctness. It wasn't smug, but something even more irritating, something that ate at your pride even when he turned away. Vegeta was convinced that he was the reason for that technique's creation, that his stubborn nature birthed...The Look.

No one ever talked about their experiences in detail, but the shared understanding gave those who faced it a special sense of who else had been there and done that.

"Ouch. Sorry I asked." The empathy was real this time around. "Not even this threat can deter him, it seems."

"Apparently not. Was that all you came for? To probe our situation?"

"Dende was concerned. He sent me to investigate-" He stopped at Vegeta's amused snort.

The royal was trying so hard not to laugh, he really was, but the imagery was just too hilarious! The giant, taking orders from that half-pint! "Don't you dare."

"What-pfft, laugh? Of...of course not..." He trailed off into muffled chortles.

Piccolo was about to admonish the man when he heard Goku join in. The Earth-raised Saiyan had been eavesdropping...again.

They had to stop when they realized Capsule Corp was directly underneath them. Stage 2 of Operation 'Save What Can't Be Saved': start!

Mrs. Briefs had been making the midday meal when she saw them through the window and rushed outside, refreshments ready. "Hello, sweeties! Can I get you anything?"

A smack upside the third-class's head brought his focus away from the treats. "Oh, right. Yeah, we need Bulma here as soon as possible, please!" He was tempted to tell her to leave her tray with them, but there were more important matters as of late.

"Of course, Goku! I'm happy to help." With that, she left, making her way to the lab beneath the estate.

Now we wait. Oh, look, the heiress was actually making her way to the kitchen this whole time. Yay, plot convenience!

"Hey, guys! What happened this time?" After all, why else would they call her?

No one was too willing to answer.

When lead to the back, she gasped.

"Goku, explain."

He told the same story, only without any names or history. Basically, he told her that this might be an alien vital to science's advancement...or something like that.

"...And you expect it to be completely calm?"

Good point. The warriors thought about this. What _were_ they gonna do about that?

Vegeta to the rescue. "You must build a device to restrain its power. That won't be too difficult, will it? After all, you're the smartest woman on the planet, right? Or are you spreading lies-"

"Okay, okay, I'll do it. Bring it into the garage on the west wing."

Fortunately, they were on the correct side. The woman opened the door and, with some more steps, made it into the intensive care unit.

Everything looked as it would in a regular hospital, but there were regeneration tanks lining the walls. The prince had made it a point to bring blueprints of the helpful machine to his wife just a few weeks ago (actually, the same time that Goku got his stomachache. Coincidence?).

After numerous tests on both humans, animals, and Saiyans, it had been deemed safe for everyday use, able to heal the most fatal wounds in a matter of hours. Truly remarkable.

Before anyone could point out the frozen factor: "You know, I had a feeling this would happen at some point, so I installed this special device to get most of the ice off before sticking this thing into the chamber."

She pressed a button on the wall, which raised a wide platform to the height of Goku's boots in the middle of the room. "Okay. Now you guys can just lift it onto the elevated surface and watch the science happen."

They heeded her.

"And...start!"

Promptly, various tools descended from within the ceiling and began to scan the object. "Bulma, what are they doing?" It wasn't Goku, but Piccolo who whispered this.

"They're just making measurements for the general shape of the organism and how deep they need to cut. Don't worry; we've done multiple tests on frozen bugs and they were all successful, so this is just on a larger scale. It should be easier."

A beep verified the plans. Then, sharp buzz-saw-looking utensils appeared and began hacking away. Snow, made from the grinding, rained on the earthlings. Good thing all the equipment in here was waterproof. Phew.

It didn't take very long for the ice to be carved away, and by that I mean it took a few hours. Basically a Saiyan lunch. Piccolo came with to keep the other warriors from saying something regrettable.

When they came back, the medical bots, which had been automatically summoned after the creature was deemed movable, were thawing their target and using up miles of gauze and tape to seal the injuries that spanned the large body.

"Oh my Dende!" Bulma was horrified. "What in the world happened to it?"

"W-we have no idea..."

Vegeta's quiet response kept his mate looking at the hurt being instead of their sweat-soaked visages. They did more damage than they thought. Oops.

The alien's clothes were stripped from it, folded up, and stored in a wall compartment. A green tail fell limp from the base of the spine, the fur matted and worn. Despite its outward appearance, it was one of the least damaged parts of the body. The midget flinched anyway. _'A Saiyan tail should never look like that...'_ The color didn't matter at that moment.

Goku wasn't better off, either. He felt guilt chew at his heart as he stared at the face of the beast. So peaceful...he winced with his prince.

Piccolo watched the bots patch up the chest wounds. There was a gaping hole in the left side, yet the thing was still alive. It was tragic, knowing that such pain could be endured and Death still evaded. He wondered if limb regeneration was a possibility for this person.

Soon, the almost-mummified entity was placed in the chamber and scanned, the glass dome shutting as soon as everything was determined and the proper monitors were placed. The machine analyzed the DNA of its patient and filled the whole space with synthesized genes that matched the extraterrestrial.

All part of the healing process.

Out of the side came a stack of papers. Bulma looked them over.

"Let's see...height, wow. Weight...double wow. Species..." There was a pause as she turned to the fighters. "This guy's a Saiyan!"

They knew that already. Now to play the shocked card...

"Really? That's...weird." Normally, Goku's reactions would be believable, but his heart was still laden with grief for what happened to the creature.

Blue eyes narrowed. The Saiyan gulped, a nervous Son gesture following.

"You wouldn't happen to know about this, would you?" Oh no, she's onto it!

Stammering, her closest friend held his hands up and laughed with more force than intended. That was all she needed to know.

Glaring at the trio, she pointed the papers at them. "What happened? What did you do to put the poor guy in this state?! _Why did you hurt him so much?!_ "

"'Poor guy'?" Piccolo couldn't contain his shock. "There's nothing about him to pity! He almost killed us!"

The third-class waved him to silence. "Bulma..." His serious tone stalled the female's retort. "Listen, you might not believe me, but-"

"But what? That he's evil? Look at him. He's so thin! Sure, he's over three hundred pounds according to his muscle density, but there's no way he could've done so much damage as to deserve such treatment-"

"That's Broly."

Those two words stopped any thought process the heiress could have made into words.

"Pick up your jaw, woman."

She did, arms lowered in disbelief.

Finally, she turned her head to the being she promised to help, walking to the glass with deliberate steps and looking in.

Gentle features, killer bod...she just couldn't see how this alien was connected to the monstrous, green-haired behemoth she was told about, let alone how he was a _Saiyan_! He looked so...kind, so...unlikely to rip your face off with his teeth!

"...I still can't believe it. This can't be that 'Legendary Super Saiyan' you guys told me about, he's too...too..."

"'Unlikely'?"

"Thank you, Goku. Yes, unlikely. There's just no way."

A derisive snort from the Namek. "We made that assumption, too, only to have it blow up in our faces." He walked up to the human, crouching and grabbing her shoulders to make her face him. "You need to make that device as quickly as possible before he heals! I don't care about your doubts; if you let him free, he'll destroy the entire universe. Do you hear me?"

Shaky nods. "Good." He let her go and went to leave. "Goku...if this goes wrong, you're dead." And whoosh! He was gone.

Vegeta joined him. "Don't screw this up, Kakarott."

Bulma left to create the template for her newest project.

It was at this moment that the kind alien started shaking in his boots.

The implications that this held...they were astronomical! Every risk, every possibility...his fear filled the room. Broly would probably be able to smell it if he didn't have that oxygen mask on.

Staring at his enemy (or was it victim?), he waited for Death to tell him that the male had been faking his injuries and had taken advantage of his kindness.

Nothing happened. There was no movement in the teal liquid.

Rocking on his heels, the conscious warrior suffered chills. Waiting for an attack was worse than _being_ attacked in most cases; this one was no exception.

He stopped, head lowered.

"Broly...I'm so sorry."


End file.
